Bartenura on Mishnah Gittin

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4.3.4
התקין רבן גמליאל שתהא נודרת ליתומים כל מה שירצו – such as קונם/taking upon myself a vow of abstinence from kinds of food if I have derived benefit from my Jewish marriage contract.
4.3.5
וגובה כתובתה – but if she married to another [man] prior to being made by the orphans to take a vow, and if they made her take a vow after she got married, lest her husband makes her take a vow, How should do this? They make her take an oath imposed by the Rabbis outside of the court for which her punishment would not be great, and she collects her Ketubah/Jewish marriage contract after she has married. But, if she comes to collect [the value of] her Ketubah before she marries another [man], it is up to the orphans [as to what to do]: if they want, they have her take an oath outside of the court or make her take a vow in court.
4.3.6
העדים חותמים על הגט מפני תיקון העולם – It refers to both [the witnesses signing on the Jewish bill of divorce as well as the widow taking a vow before the orphans before collecting the value of her Jewish marriage contract], concerning a widow who takes a vow to the orphans on whatever they want, for the sake of the social order, so that women can marry their husbands without worrying about losing the value of their Ketubah. But concerning the witnesses who sign the Jewish bill of divorce for the sake of the social order, for since it is the witnesses to the delivery [of the Jewish bill of divorce] that effect the divorce, for the witnesses in whose presence the Jewish bill of divorce is delivered to the woman are the essential [aspect] of the divorce. It would not have been necessary for witnesses to sign the Jewish bill of divorce, other than for the sake of the social order, for we are concerned lest one of the witnesses before whom the Jewish bill of divorce was delivered would die, and that the bill of divorce in her hand without witnesses would be like a mere potsherd.
4.3.7
הלל התקין פרוזבול – for he [Hillel] saw that the people were prevented from making loans to one another and they violated what is written in the Torah (Deuteronomy 15:9): “Beware lest you harbor the base thought, [the seventh year, the year of remission is approaching…’],” he [Hillel] ordained the Prozbul. And this is the body of the Prozbul: “I hand over to you, so-and-so and so-and-so, the judges that every debt obligation that I have with so-and-so, I will collect it whenever I want.”
4.4.1
עבד שנשבה ופדאוהו – Other Israelites [redeemed him] after his master had despaired of recovering him [of getting him back from captivity].
4.4.2
אם לשום עבד ישתעבד – to his second master.
4.4.3
לשום בן חורין לא ישתעבד – No to his first master nor to his second master. Not to his second master, that behold for the sake of become a free person, he would be redeemed; not to his first master either so that everyone would subject himself to the army and remove himself from his master.
4.4.5
אפותיקי – Here you would stand. From this, you will collect your lien and not from another place.
4.4.6
ושחררו – his first master
4.4.7
שורת הדין אין העבד חייב כלום – to his second master, for the manumission that the first master freed him removes him from enslavement.
4.4.8
אלא מפני תקון העולם – lest his second master would find him in the market and say to him: “you are my servant and cast aspersion on the purity of his children.
4.4.9
כופין את רבו – The second [master], and make him (i.e., the slave) a free man. And the slave should write a document of liability regarding his worth, that is to say, according to what he would be worth to be sold in the marketplace, not according to the liability if the liability was greater than his monetary worth.
4.4.10
רשב"ג אמר אין העבד כותב – [the slave does not write] a document of liability, for he is not liable for anything., but the first master who damaged his servitude, he is the one who must pay his worth, for the one who damages the servitude of his fellow is liable and the Halakha is according to Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel.
4.5.1
מי שחציו עבד וחציו בן חורין – such as a slave of two partners, who was freed by one of them. Alternatively, his master received from him half of his financial worth, and freed that half on account of those funds.
4.5.2
תקנתם את רבו – who is not lacking for anything
4.5.3
לישא שפחה אינו יכול – because of the side of “freedom” within him.
4.5.4
בת חורין אינו יכול – because of the side of enslavement within him.
4.5.5
כופין את רבו ועושהו בן חורין – And the same law applies if he was the slave of one-hundred partners and one of them freed him; we force all of them to free him.
4.6.1
בן חורין – if he fled from the heathen, or the or the court fined him [i.e., the original owner] to redeem him from the heathens, as we said – we force him to redeem him and after he has redeemed him, he does not free him, and this is a fine of the Sages, because he releases him from the commandments. And similarly, if he [i.e., the master], sold him outside of the Land [of Israel], he [i.e., the slave] goes free, since he took him outside of the Land of Israel.
4.6.2
מפני תקון העולם – they would not surrender the heathens themselves [to the authorities] to increase and bring captives when we see that they are selling them for more than their worth.
4.6.3
אין מבריחין את השבויין מפני תקון העולם – lest they arouse to anger the captives who will eventually come into their hands and place them in chains and put them on the splints of his legs.
4.6.4
רבן שמעון בן גמליאל אומר מפני תקנת השבויין – Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel has not been concerned about the future as a captive, other than with those who are currently in captivity with him. If there is no other captive than him alone, we force him [to free him] and we are not concerned here about the decree of other captives when there are no others with him. And the Halakha is according to Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel.
4.7.1
משום שם רע – talk casting aspersion against her [on account of] unchastity
4.7.2
משום נדר – that she took an vow and he [i.e., her husband] said: It is impossible for me [to be married] to a woman who takes vows.
4.7.3
לא יחזיר – And even if it were found that the words [against her] were false, or that the vow was released by a Sage, lest she go and marry another and it is found that the words of aspersion against her [on account of] unchastity were found to be false, and that her vow would be released by a Sage, and she would not be considered unrestrained in taking vows, and he [i.e. the husband] would say: If I had known that this was the case, even if they gave me one-hundred Maneh, I would not divorce her, and the Jewish bill of divorce would be considered void and her children would be illegitimate. Therefore, we say to him: Note that one who dismisses his wife because of an evil name or because of a vow cannot remarry [her] ever. And because of these words, he completes her divorce’ and no one is able to further disgrace her through immorality.
4.7.4
רבי יהודה אומר: כל נדר שידעו בו רבים לא יחזיר – Rabbi Yehuda thinks that the reason that what the Rabbis said – that a person who dismisses {i.e, divorce) his wife because of a bad name or because of a vow, should not remarry her in order that Jewish women should not be loose in moral conduct or in vows (Gittin 46a), and because of this, it is stated that a vow that the public knew about – ten or more Israelites [involved], there is greater licentiousness, and they fine her and he cannot remarry her. But, if the public did not know about it, there is no licentiousness at all and they do not fine her.
4.7.5
לא יחזיר – since Rabbi Meir thinks that the reason is because of moral corruption. Therefore, a vow which cannot be annulled but that a Sage can release it, he [i.e., the husband] can corrupt the Jewish bill of divorce after she has married another [man] and say: If had known that a Sage can release it [the vow, I would not have divorced her.
4.7.6
ושאינו צריך חקירת חכם – but rather he can annul it [the vow] and there would be no need for the Sages to prohibit him from remarrying her, because he is not able to damage her and say, “If I had known etc.,” for it is an open vow and he can either annul it or not annul it.
4.7.7
לא אסרו זה – that requires the study of a Sage [to find the means of absolving the vow to permit him] to remarry [her].
4.7.8
אלא מפני זה – that it is not necessary, for had it been necessary, we would not have to worry about disgracing her by immorality, since he would not be able to say: Had I known that a Sage can release it [i.e., the vow] , I would not have divorced [her], for we testify that even though this is the case, he would divorce her, and a man does not want to have his wife despised/humbled in the Jewish court in front of a Sage where she would go to the court and make petition about her vow, but because a vow that does not require a Sage [to release her] and the husband can annul it, they forbade all of them so that he would not say: “If I had known that I could annul it, it would not have divorced her.”
4.7.9
א"ר יוסי ברבי יהודה כו' In the Gemara it explains that the Mishnah is deficient (i.e., missing something) and it should be taught as follows: What are we speaking about: When she made the vow, but if he made the vow that he would divorce her and he divorced her, he may remarry her and we don’t worry about her degeneracy.
4.7.10
ואמר ר' יוסי ברבי יהודה: מעשה נמי בצידן באחד שאמר לאשתו קונם אם איני מגרשך – that is to say, that all the fruit that is in the world will be forbidden to me if I do not divorce you, and he divorced her, but the Sages ruled leniently to him that he may remarry her.
4.7.11
מפני תקון העולם – that is to say, that the Sages did not say that a man who divorces his wife because of a vow should not remarry her other than because of the sake of the social order for we fear for moral degeneracy, but that does not belong other than on account of a vow she took , but if he took a vow, and there is nothing here [concerning] the sake of the social order, they permitted him to remarry her. And the Halakha is according to Rabbi Yehuda.
4.8.1
רבי יהודה אומר לא יחזיר – Lest she marry [another man] and give birth [to a child] and he (i.e., the first husband] would say: had I known that this is the case, even if they would have given me one-hundred Maneh, I would not divorce you.
4.8.2
וחכמים אומרים: יחזיר – for they were not concerned for her degeneracy, and in the Gemara, it explains who the Sages are: Rabbi Meir – who stated that we require a double condition and this is what we are dealing with – that he did not make a double condition, for he [i.e., the husband] did not say to her: “You should know that since you are incapable of conception, I am releasing you [from being my wife], and if you are not incapable of conception, it is not a Jewish bill of divorce, and now it is a Jewish bill of divorce even if she is not incapable of conception.
4.8.3
והיא תובעת כתובתה – a woman incapable of conception has no [rights regarding her] Ketubah/Jewish marriage contract , and now that she was found to not be incapable of conception, she is demanding [payment of] her Ketubah.
4.8.4
שתיקותיך יפה ליך מדבוריך – that he would say: If I had known that in the end, I would have to give you your Ketubah [payment], I would not have divorced you, and it is found that the Jewish bill of divorce is voided and her children are illegitimate.
4.9.1
אין פודין אותו – and he is accustomed to it, such as the case where he sold and resold and sold a third time.
4.9.2
לוקח ומביא ביכורים – In each year, one must purchase from the heathen the first of its fruits with money and bring them to Jerusalem.
4.9.3
מפני תקון העולם – so that he not be accustomed to sell land in the Land of Israel to heathens, and if he sold it, he work to return and redeem them.
5.1.1
הניזקין שמין להם בעידית – Even though that it is from Torah, as it is written (Exodus 22:4): “[When a man lets his lifestock loose to graze in another’s land, and so allows a field or a vineyard to be grazed bare,] he must make restitution (from the best) for the impairment of that field or vineyard.” This Tanna [of our Mishnah] thinks that it is the best field of the one who suffered damage that is spoken of in the Biblical verse, but for the sake of the social order, the Sages said that the one who caused the damage should pay from the best of his property, even if they (i.e., his properties) are better than the best of the one who suffered the damage, in order that we should be careful from causing damage.
5.1.2
ובעל חוב בבינונית – that from the Torah he does not collect other than from the lowest quality land of the estate, as it is written (Deuteronomy 24:11): “[You must remain outside,] while the man to whom you made the loan brings the pledge out to you.” But it is not the manner of a person to bring out other than the worst of his possessions, but for the sake of the social order, they [i.e., the Sages] said that the borrower pays with his middle-range [property, in order that we not shut the door to borrowers.
5.1.3
וכתובת אשה בזבורית – for we do not suspect her to shut the door, for more than a man wants to marry, a woman wants to be married.
5.1.4
ר"מ אומר כו'- The Halakha is not according to Rabbi Meir.
5.2.1
אין נפרעים מכנסים משועבדים – such as a borrower who sold his middle-range [property] which was mortgaged to the creditor, the creditor cannot seize it from the purchaser if free-standing property remains with the borrower, and even though they are not other than the lowest level property.
5.3.1
אין מוציאין לאכילת פירות ולשבח קרקעות – The one who steals a field and sells it to another [person], who sowed it and caused it to grow and made fruits and the person from whom it was stolen comes and collects it with its fruits from the purchaser, does not pay the purchaser other than the expenses [laid out following the purchase] and the purchaser goes back to the seller and collects the cost of the land from his mortgaged possessions, for he [the thief] sold it to him [the purchaser who was unaware that the land had been stolen] with surety and wrote him a document of sale , and it is a loan document, and the fruit come from free-standing property and not from mortgaged property.
5.3.2
לשבח קרקעות – and similarly, if the purchase increased the value of the property by planting trees or manuring it or doing similar things.
5.3.3
ולמזון אשה והבנות – for it is a condition of the Jewish marriage contract, “for you will dwell in my house and be supported from my possessions, and the female issue that you will have from me will dwell in my house and be supported from my possessions, etc., and when they come to claim their food, they do not collect it other than from free-standing property and not from mortgaged [properties].”
5.3.4
מפני תקון העולם – for they are many which have no limit and no one knows how much they are and one is not able to be careful with this.
5.3.5
והמוצא מציאה – and returned [the lost object], and the owners say that the entirety was not returned.
5.3.6
לא ישבע מפני תקון העולם – for if you say that he should take an oath, there are no individuals who deals with the return of lost objects.
5.4.1
יתומים שסמכו אצל בעל הבית – to do their work at his direction, for an administrator/guardian had not been appointed for them; but nevertheless, he was like an administrator.
5.4.2
אפוטרופוס – In the Roman language they would call a father PATER and children [would be called] POTOS. An explanation of APOTROPOS is the father of minor children.
5.4.3
שמינהו אבי יתומים ישבע – for if not [i.e. if he did not take an oath], that he had benefit from him, he would not have had an administrator, and because of the oath taken, he might shrink from serving as a guardian.
5.4.4
מנוהו בית דין לא ישבע – as a gratuitous favor, as he does this for the Jewish court to accept their words and to trouble himself without pay, and if they bring a dispute [by requiring that] he take an oath [that he was faithful to his task], he can shrink from it [i.e., becoming a guardian].
5.4.5
אבא שאול אומר חילוף הדברים – if he court appointed him, he should take an oath, since the benefit [he receives] has a voice that he is an honorable person [by not stealing from the funds in his care] for the Jewish court relies upon him and because of the oath taken, he will not shrink [from his duties in becoming a guardian]; [on the other hand], if the father of the orphans appointed him, he should not take an oath, as it is a gratuitous favor that he does for him to go to the trouble [of caring for] his children, and if they were to raise a dispute against him [by requiring that] he take an oath, he would shrink from his duties [of serving as a guardian]. And the Halakha is according to Abba Shaul.
5.4.6
המטמא – [he defiles] the pure objects of his fellow.
5.4.7
המדמע – he mixes the heave-offering/sacred donation for the Kohanim with unconsecrated foods and causes it to lose value, as it is necessary to sell it to the Kohanim cheaply.
5.4.8
המנסך – mixing wine poured for libations with kosher wine and it is forbidden to derive benefit [from it].
5.4.9
במזיד חייב – but by law, he would be exempt, for damage that is not discernible in the object itself is not itself called damage (see Talmud Gittin 53a), but for the sake of the social order [we do not do this], so that every person would not go and defile his fellow’s pure objects, and say that I am exempt.
5.4.10
הכהנים שפיגלו – [because of an improper intention in the mind of the officiating Kohen making] the sacrifices [rejectable] in that they slaughtered [the animals] and sprinkled their blood with the thought of eating from them at an inappropriate time, and it as not acceptable to the owners [of the sacrifices].
5.4.11
מזידים – that they knew that they would be invalid by doing this.
5.4.12
חייבים – to pay their value to the owners, for they would have to bring other [sacrifices]; alternatively, it is a donation and is not obligated for indemnity payment. Nevertheless, it is difficult in his eyes that he would not make the sacrificial offering, for he was requested to bring a gift.
5.5.1
על החרשת שהשיאה אביה – and even though she is a completely married woman, for her father had received her betrothal when she was a child/minor, even so she goes free with a Jewish bill of divorce and receives her Jewish bill of divorce while she is deaf-mute; and even though she lacks “knowledge,” since a woman is divorced against her will, therefore, we don’t require “knowledge.”
5.5.2
וכל קטנה בת ישראל שנשאת לכהן – and she is an orphan, and her marriage is not valid other than according to the Rabbis.
5.5.3
שאוכלת בתרומה – according to the Rabbis, for we do not make the decree that [eating] Terumah/heave-offering according to the Rabbis is like [eating] Terumah of the Torah-law.
5.5.4
מריש – beam
5.5.5
בירה – a large house
5.5.6
מפני תקנת השבים – for it you require him [i.e., the thief] to take down (literally, “exterminate”) his home (or an entire group of buildings) and return the [stolen] beam itself (see Talmud Gittin 47a), he would be prevented from repenting.
5.5.7
שלא נודעה לרבים – that t was stolen
5.5.8
שהיא מכפרת – and there is no need to bring another.
5.5.9
מפני תקון מזבח – so that the Kohanim will not be sad that they unconsecrated meat that was slaughtered in the Temple courtyard, and it would lead to the altar being void, that they were prevented from performing the Temple ritual.
5.6.1
לא היה סקריקון – a murdering heathen, that is do say, that they did not adjudicate the law concerning the purchase of confiscated property (see Talmud Gittin 55b) to say that whomever purchases Jewish land from a murdering heathen, will be liable to adjudicate with the owners.
5.6.2
משעת הרוגי מלחמה – At the time when the decree was difficult for the Jews [that they would be] killed during warfare, for a person who buys from him at that time, his purchase is valid, and there was no need to adjudicate with an Israelite who owns the land, since as a result of unavoidable compulsion where an Israelite would complete a sale to the heathen murderers, and we hold (Talmud Bava Batra 47b): “If a person consents to sell something through fear of physical violence (literally, “if they hang him and he sells”), the sale is valid.
5.6.3
אבל מהרוגי המלחמה ואילך – when there was no decree to be killed, they adjudicated the law concerning the purchase of confiscated propery, to say that when he purchases it from him, they should do a judgment with the owners as it is explained in the Mishnah.
5.6.4
מקחו בטל – for as we say that he did it out of fear.
5.6.5
לקח מן האיש – land that is designated for his wife’s Ketubah.
5.6.6
מקחו בטל – for she said that I did it only to gratify my husband (but did not mean to sell – see Talmud Ketubot 95a).
5.6.7
נותן לבעלים רביע – that they estimated, for the heathen murderers which it had come into his hand without paying for it, he bought [the confiscated field] for one-fourth less than its real value.
5.7.1
רומז ונרמז – what her [i.e., the deaf-mute] gesticulates or that others gesticulate to him and is satisfied by it, everything exists. Gesticulation is with one’s hands or with one’s head. Mimic intimation [is accomplished] by the curving of the lips, as it says (Job 5:16): “[So there is hope for the wretched;] the mouth of wrongdoing is stopped.” But mimic intimation is not recognized as is gesticulation.
5.7.2
במטלטלין – if he sold movables, and the Halakha is not according to Ben Beteira.
5.7.3
הפעוטות – minors at the age of seven or eight, if he is sharp/bright and knows the nature of business relationships, or if he the age of nine or ten and is not so sharp.
5.7.4
מקחן מקח וממכרן ממכר במטלטלין – and their gifts are gifts, whether it is a gift of a healthy individual or the gift of someone on his death-bed, whether it is a large gift or a small gift.
5.8.1
כהן קורא ראשון – When they are equal in wisdom, but if the Israelite is greater in wisdom, he precedes the Kohen and the Levite (see Mishnah Horayot, Chapter 3, Mishnah 8) for a Sage who is illegitimate comes before a High Priest who is an ignoramus. The law is the law of the Gemara, but today it is the practice that the Kohen, even if he is an ignoramus, comes before a great Sage who is an Israelite.
5.8.2
מפני דרכי שלום – that from the Torah, a Kohen can give permission to whomever he wishes that would read from the Torah before him, but for the sake of the social order, they said that he [i.e., the Kohen] should read first and not give permission to another to read [before him], so that it doesn’t come to wrangling. But if there is no Kohen there, the cord has been severed and a Levite should not read second, other than according to his importance. And there are those who say that the Levite should not [in this case where there is no Kohen] read (i.e., called up to) the Torah at all and this is the custom.
5.8.3
מערבין בבית ישן – members of a courtyard who are accustomed to place their Eruv (contribute their share towards a dish which is deposited in one of the dwellings, by which act all the dwellings are considered as common to all – whereby the carrying of objects on Shabbat from one to another and across the court are permitted) in one [particular] house, should not change their place to place it in another house.
5.8.4
מפני דרכי שלום – that people who are accustomed to see the Eruv in the same house, [and] now that they don’t see it, will say that they are carrying [on the Sabbath] without an Eruv, and there is suspicion.
5.8.5
בור שהוא קרוב – to one who finds a canal that comes from the river.
5.8.6
מתמלא ראשון – and afterwards the lower ones are filled.
5.8.7
מצודות חיה – that lack a receptacle where he acquires his utensils (?)
5.8.8
יש בהן משום גזל מפני דרכי שלום – and is not removed by the judges
5.8.9
רבי יוסי אומר: גזל גמור – According to the Rabbis and is removed by judges. However, Rabbi Yosi admits that it is not theft according to the Torah, to transgress with a negative commandment. But the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Yosi.
5.8.10
המנקף – cut off/sever, like Isaiah 10:34: “The thickets of the forest shall be hacked away with iron…”
5.9.1
החשודה על השביעית – to guard/preserve the seventh year fruit and hide them from removal [of the fruit] (in the third and sixth years of the Sabbath period) and beyond.
5.9.2
לא תבור ולא תטחון עמה – to assist her, since it is forbidden to help with his hands those who sin while they are sinning.
5.9.3
לאשת עם הארץ – who is suspect regarding tithing
5.9.4
ובוררת וטוחנת – since most ignoramuses do tithe
5.9.5
אבל משתטיל המים – in the dough
5.9.6
לא תגע עמה – since when she rolls it, it becomes liable for setting aside Hallah (i.e., the piece of dough taken off, thrown into the oven and burned), and she becomes defiled through impure utensils , which had become susceptible to receive impurity; and she who helps her to roll [the dough] is forbidden to cause the Hallah to become impure.
5.9.7
וכולן לא אמרו כו' – they did not permit them to lend utensils and assist them outside of the time of the sin itself, other than because of the ways of peace.

Bartenura on Mishnah, trans. by Rabbi Robert Alpert, 2020. Via Sefaria (sefaria.org), Sefaria-Export. Version source: http://sefaria.org/ Licence: CC-BY. Source.